Brian Joseph Young, a 41-year-old Flat Bay man accused of burning the Flat Bay St. Teresa’s Community Centre, is seen on his way into Stephenville Provincial Court on Tuesday.
The charges, which included arson and administering a noxious substance to endanger life or cause bodily harm, were dismissed at the recommendation of the Crown when Young, 42, appeared in Stephenville Provincial Court on Aug. 10.
Neither the Bay St. George RCMP nor the Crown attorney’s officer would confirm the reasoning for dismissing the charges as of deadline Monday.
The Flay Bay man had pleaded not guilty to those charges, but entered guilty pleas to others, including five counts of failing to comply with conditions of an undertaking or recognizance, two counts of breaching probation orders and two counts of possessing drugs with intent to traffic.
Young had previously served a jail term for those charges and was released when the fire-related charges were dismissed.
A second Flat Bay man, Gage Cormier, who was 19 years old at the time, was also charged with arson in relation to the community centre fire, which occurred Nov. 16, 2015.
Cormier’s case is still before the courts, but he has been released from custody on a number of terms and conditions.
Twitter: @WS_FrankGale
